cactustwirly
Established Member
Someone inside GWR may know the patterns for London-Newbury/Bedwyn, but as I pointed out back up the thread, the number of through trains per day between Newbury and Paddington will rise from about 40 now to 50+ from January. Probably including some 387s on extra Paddington duties for the peaks.
It may be neat and tidy to your mind but, the same as Westbury, would require several more IETs to operate and, bar anecdotes, I have yet to see anyone set out a compelling case for so many extra trains all day west of Newbury/Bedwyn - where are all the passengers to justify it going to come from? Just as in Westbury, if people in Frome were given a choice between lots of London trains or a better service to Bath, Bristol and perhaps Swindon, I reckon the latter destinations would win by a country mile.
People from Plymouth and Cornwall, the overwhelming majority of whom will be traveling to/from Reading and London, think it is a very good idea. I believe the Paignton services are going to be extensions of Exeter semi-fasts anyway. GWR haven't come up with the service pattern without looking long and hard at where people are going to and from.
The Paignton & Tauton extras at the moment are the xx33 off Paddington, which is the xx03 from Reading.
It's very likely the new Exeter Semis will be on this path.
I agree with you, I went on an ex Taunton Stopper a few weeks ago and it was very empty all the way to Reading